Blood Lily

12

Serafina

"So, Mister Kael" I start while looking at him "Let's start with dressing a background"

He raises an eyebrow, almost mocking me, and it takes everything in me not to stab him in the eye with my pen. I give him a cold smile "I will ask questions and answer as much as you can, alright"

He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest in a way that made him look more relaxed than he had any right to be in this situation. "Sure thing, Doc," he drawled, the nickname dripping with sarcasm.

I roll my eyes internally "Well let's start with family. Parents, aunts, uncles, siblings?"

"You're asking for a lot aren't you?"

"This is the bare minimum if we want to be able to find the core... emotional issue."

Kael's smiled in annoyance, the vein pulsing on his neck betrayed him, but he kept his composure. "Family, huh?" he echoed, his voice tight with barely restrained annoyance. "Alright, if that's what it takes to get this over with."

"Not exactly, but it will make things go faster"

He shifted slightly in his chair, weighing how much he should share. "Everyone in my family is dead. It's just me and my sister."

I write it all down "Natural death?"

He shrugs "For this line of work"

His way of responding was a clear indicator for me to change the subject and to find something else to talk about before his patience run's out. What he didn't know is that mine would probably run out before his ever approaches that do-not-cross line.

I nodded, adjusted myself. "Okay, let's talk about your sister. What's her name?"

"Elora" he finally said, his voice softening just a touch at the mention of her name.

"It must be hard," I said. "Keeping her safe, in a world like this."

Kael's jaw clenched, and he looked away, his gaze hardening again. "Careful Doc. You're tiptoeing on the line"

"I'm simply stating a fact. And the older she get's the worst it will be. How old is she?"

"She's 5."

I scribble my notes down and look at him

"Well then, let's start with your bad habits then" He snorts but I ignore it "When did they start? Give me a time frame if you don't have an exact time"

He scoffs and chuckles, falling back "what if I said since forever?"

I frown, annoyed. I was trying to help this asshole late in the evening, making sure no one was here because 'privacy' and shit and him? He did everything to make it as miserable and hard as he could.

"Since forever, huh?" I repeat, tapping my pen against the notepad. "That's quite a long time, Kael. But habits form for a reason. Something must have triggered them. Maybe a memory? An event?"

"Look here Doll," he says with a smile, his voice low and cold. "You're not gonna fix whatever you think is broken in me. I'm looking for redemption. I'm here because Ghost and Mussa want me here. So why don't we cut the crap? Tell Ghost you failed, he's expecting this anyway"

He gets up to leave, walking towards the door and that's enough for me to lose it. I grab my heel and throw it towards him, missing his head by an inch. He stops and slowly turns, wide eyes and all smiles

"Have you finally gone mad, Doctor?" he walks towards me, in an almost predatory manner.

"Gone mad? That's an understatement you bratty, goth wannabe imbecile fucker" I spit at him.

In second, he has me pinned against the wall his hand tightening around my neck. "That's quite the mouth you've got there, Doc. Didn't know you had it in you." His voice is a low growl, but there's a hint of something else beneath it—curiosity, maybe, or a twisted kind of amusement.

I don't back down. I meet his gaze head-on. "You don't know shit about me, Kael. You wanna leave? FINE! I won't stop you. Go on and continue being your pathetic self and make your job harder then it has to be because you have the emotional stability of a three year old. But don't waste my fucking time. Either sit your ass back down, or leave."

"You've got a death wish, Doc," he hisses through clenched teeth. "I could snap your neck right here, right now, and no one would miss you."

I laugh humorlessly "Please. Be my fucking guest. I'll wait for you in hell since you will be joining me minutes later when Ghosts finds my dead body."

His jaw clenches, a muscle ticking just beneath the surface of his skin. He's caught between his anger and the inconvenient truth of my words, and I can see the war raging inside him. For a moment, I wonder if he really might snap my neck just to prove a point. But then, slowly, he releases his grip, stepping back with a frustrated laugh.

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" he mutters under his breath, raking a hand through his hair as he paces away from me.

"My best quality so I'm told" I answer with a sarcastic smile, taking a deep breath, rubbing my throat where his hand had been.

He scoffs. "Do you always provoke people like this?" he snaps, stopping abruptly to glare at me. His eyes, once guarded and impassive, now flicker with something raw—anger, yes, but also amusement. What a twisted fucker. No thisonder he needs a therapist

"Only when they deserve it," I reply evenly, my voice steady despite the lingering tremor in my hands. I keep my gaze locked on his, refusing to back down

Kael scoffs, running a hand over his face. "You think you're so fucking smart, don't you?"

I sit back at my office at look at him with a smile "No, but being smarter then you isn't that hard. Or impressive."

He turns and slams the door open, walking off. Ezekiel quickly pops in to see if I'm alright "All good Princess?"

His eyes look down to my neck and the bruise slowly forming. He looks back up at me, this time angry, clear that one word from me would be enough to seal his faith. I give him a sly smile, trying to downplay the situation. "It looks worst then it actually is."

He raises an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Worst then-" he mocks "The guy choked you. Just wait until I get my hand on him."

I chuckle softly, shaking my head. "There's no need. It's not like there's gonna be a second time. For now, I think I need a drink."

Ezekiel rolls his eyes and sighs. If it was up to him, he would go knock out Kael. He gives me a small grin, and sighs. "Sure, whatever you want . Let's go. Bill's on me."

I grab my bag and smile at him "Obviously"